Leaving for Concepcion

I realize I haven´t updated my blog in a while and so I apologize for this. I will work on trying to write more frequently in the future. This is my last weekend in Santa Cruz because I plan on leaving for Concepcion this Sunday afternoon. I have greatly enjoyed my time here in Santa Cruz, it has been very beneficial. I have had the opportunity to adapt to a new environment, study Spanish and connect with my host family. I have really appreciated having a safe environment where I could practice my Spanish. Even though my family would laugh occasionally at my misconstrued sentences, they were very considerate and corrected my mistakes; street vendors have been less sympathetic. I am especially thankful for Doña Nati because she would talk slowly and would always make sure I understood what was said at the dinner table. I will also miss our conversations on the way home from work every day and all the wonderful food she she has prepared for me. I was truly blessed to have such a wonderful home stay and will look forward and visiting them when I return to the city every month (unless there are bloqueos).

I am very anxious to be leaving even though I have enjoyed my time here in Santa Cruz. They city is nice, but after spending time in Santiago this past weekend (remote town south east of Santa Cruz), I am ready to live in the country; I hope I still hold this opinion for the remainder of the year. I am very anxious to meet my new host family, yet also a little nervous. I have become comfortable with the customs of my current host family and they have adopted me as part of the family. I realize it will be an adjustment moving in with another family and learning to abide by their expectations. It will take some time to build trust and become comfortable with one another, yet hopefully that won´t take too long and I will have as good, if not better, of a relationship as I do with Doña Nati and her family.

Most of all I am anxious to begin my job which starts this Monday the 29. I am excited to meet the people I will be working with and to begin working with the youth in the community. Besides helping the youth with reading, I might have the opportunity to also address other aspects such as teaching proper research and paraphrasing skills. Please pray for my patience though because at times I desire to see immediate and explicit results, which is obviously not always possible. I must remember not to focus solely on being effective. Also, despite my best efforts, I will most likely be effective in a way I originally did not intend.

I would also like to reinforce that I am doing fine here in Bolivia and feel perfectly safe. Currently there is a festival going on in Santa Cruz and the violence has resided. All the bloqueos have been lifted as well, thus Gas and other goods can be distributed and sold. Talks will then resume between the opposing parties on October 15. Depending on how those turn out, things could flare up again. I pray a compromise is reached and the situation isn´t reduced to violence. I will do my best on trying to keep all of you informed.

I want to stress again that I appreciate all the prayers, they are very comforting. God Bless.